Ch 37: The Get-Away

Inuyasha had one hell of a plan. He knew full well that Kagome was suspicious. How couldn't she be? Ever since his new arrangement in supervision went underway, he had finally been able to find some peace alone, even if he never did stray too far from the others, and as a result his attitude was ten times better than usual. He knew she knew it. Many times he had caught her out of the corner of his eyes, staring at him in that befuddled look of hers. He refused to answer her questions when she asked about it, but she didn't need to know yet. A perfect plot was brewing in his mind, the perfect way to make it up to Kagome for being so distant lately.

Astonishingly, on Inuyasha's request, Miroku and Shippou hadn't spoken a word about the revelation that Inuyasha could be osuwaried on a regular basis to tell him apart from Kokuei. Of course under normal circumstances he would let the girls know about this right away, but if he could hold off telling them for just a couple of days, his surprise just might work like he wanted it to.

And the day had finally come.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Midday, the valley was scorching with heat. Kagome worked determinedly scrubbing all the clothes she could get her hands on, silently wondering that if she could just bring them to her era and wash them in the machines, she could make more use of her time. Down by the river, she watched Shippou splash through the cool water with a bitter sense of jealousy as she sweated on the grass. The metal scrubbing board was hot from the sun and not even water would cool it. Her fingers felt raw after washing clothes for hours.

Letting out yet another sigh, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and stood to her feet with a soaked sheet in her hands. Just a few yards away, she had set up some wiring to hang up the laundry to dry. She flung the massive thing over the wire and straightened it.

He made his move.

Emerging from behind the nearby tree trunk, he snuck around to peak at her from the other side of the sheet. Kagome let out a yell of surprise and fell back a step. "Kami, Inuyasha! Don't do that!"

He only smiled and stepped closer. Kagome tensed up, "Wait a minute… Osuwari!"

Not prepared for the sudden use of the command, he yelped as the necklace pulled him quickly to the ground, dragging the wet sheet along with him. The wet material easily tangled around his body before his face plummeted into the dirt. "Ach! Damnit, Kagome!"

Kagome cringed, not so much due to Inuyasha's tone but the fact that she would have to wash that sheet all over again. Still, she kneeled down and pulled the loose corner off of his head. He was growling at her when she met his gaze with a smile. "Sorry, but you said yourself that if I ever doubt it's you…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know!" Inuyasha grumbled, "I think you're enjoying this just a little too much."

Kagome glared at that, "You take that back."

"Keh!"

She yanked on the hair hanging just next to his face, pulling his head up just a little as she moved in to mutter, "You know I don't enjoy it anymore than you do. You aren't supposed to be wondering off alone, remember?"

Inuyasha had to bite his tongue to keep himself from exposing that he wasn't being followed anymore. As far as Kagome knew, Inuyasha was always with someone they were familiar with, just as she was always with either Shippou or Sango. Even though Inuyasha never was too far away from anyone, Kagome couldn't possibly have guessed that he was no longer being continuously supervised. She, however, was not included in that new arrangement.

"So are you," Inuyasha pointed out, "I don't see anybody else."

Kagome nodded back towards the river just behind the trunk, "Shippou's right there."

Inuyasha tilted his head just enough to look past the tree. Shippou was there alright, splashing like an idiot up and down the water path after fish that were just too quick for him. The cunning of the fox was lost within his childhood awkwardness, as he repeatedly fell head-first into the water or batted runaway fish through the air. The adorableness of the situation was utterly lost on Inuyasha, who could only make a face in disgust. It seemed the kit was far too playful to keep an eye out for any danger, let alone look after Kagome. Hell, Shippou probably didn't even realize Inuyasha had arrived.

His ears pricked up as a new thought came into his head.

Kagome got to her feet and with a frown began to pull the sheet off of Inuyasha. "Now if you'll excuse me, I still have chores to do."

Just when she had about pulled the whole sheet away from him, he grabbed onto the trailing end and yanked hard. Kagome cried out as she fell forward, landing right on his back. Inuyasha grunted loudly when his body was pressed deeper into the ground. The sheet fell over them once again. When Kagome swatted the sheet away to look up at the hanyou, her glare was almost comical. "Inuyasha, what the hell?"

He matched her tone, "If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me, wench."

He rolled them both, tangling their bodies in the sheet and pinning Kagome beneath him. She didn't have time to protest before he dropped his mouth over hers. The angry retort she was about to make was muffled by his lips, soon to be replaced by a small squeak of surprise. For a moment, she didn't move nor close her eyes. It wasn't until Inuyasha moved enough to pull the sheet over their heads that she began to suspect what was going on through his head. Forgetting her previous frustration, the confusing emotions of her hanyou, she smiled as he pressed his mouth into hers, as he deepened the kiss almost instantly.

Hidden away by the sheet from any curious passersby, the wetness of the material let off a breath of fresh cold air, relieving her skin as Inuyasha relieved her senses. Hidden away from the world for just another precious moment, in her mind even as they lay under a sheet in the wide-open wilderness, it was private enough. Apparently it was enough for him too. She sighed against him and buried her fingers into his long hair. She didn't know what it was exactly, but something about the way he acted recently was so joyful. She couldn't mistake the happiness in his kiss. As though they shared the same mind, it was as though his contentment were her own, something so crystal-clear it resonated an absolute truth in her heart.

The peace in her was unsettling. The ever-welcome calm of his presence wasn't enough to slake the sense of restlessness within her. The powerful need to nourish him with all the love she could yet without knowing what to do or how to react. She felt that she needed to do something, and yet something could be anything in the world or nothing at all. Even as she grew weak at the feel of him, her soul had the urge to break out of her body and just dance. Maybe that was what she felt whenever she looked at him. Maybe he made her so weak in the knees because inside her emotions were consuming all the energy she had, materializing into a love as palpable and as hard as a rock. To love was tiring and yet she never felt so awake before.

"Well if this is your idea of laundry, it's no wonder you haven't finished," a deep voice commented nearby.

Inuyasha's growl returned as he slowly peeled himself off of the girl. Kagome, disappointed as she was, still gave him a small smile of encouragement before they pulled the sheet off. Miroku, that nosey monk, was leaning against the tree with a very amused smirk. Sango was blushing just behind him though trying very hard to glare him down for not leaving the couple alone. Inuyasha was too embarrassed to say anything, but his glare in the monk's direction was enough to say, 'I don't like you right now.'

"Say, Sango, would you like to do some laundry?" Miroku asked playfully.

Much to Inuyasha's delight, Sango took the initiative to elbow the monk in the stomach. The hanyou couldn't hide his smirk at seeing the pervert once again dominated by his own wife. Even if Sango was very much a traditional woman, as Kagome might say, Sango did 'wear the pants' in this marriage. Inuyasha turned up his chin proudly and scoffed, "Keh! Serves you right, bouzo. I've had enough of you. Come on, Kagome. We're getting out of here."

"What?" Both of the girls piped up.

Inuyasha took Kagome's hand and started leading her back to the village. "Let's go. Your birthday's tomorrow and I promised your mother you'd be home for that."

"Now wait just a minute, Inuyasha," Sango exclaimed as she cut them off. "You two aren't allowed to go anywhere without someone else. And none of us can follow you through the well."

Inuyasha sighed and rolled his eyes. It was about time, anyway. He continued pulling Kagome along with him and threw just one statement over his shoulder, "Might as well tell them, monk."

"Already? Hm, okay."

"Miroku, what's going on?" Sango asked as they followed behind the retreating couple.

"Well, we – that is, Inuyasha, Shippou, and myself – realized that so long as Kagome can use the rosary beads to identify Inuyasha, all she has to do is osuwari him if ever we are uncertain about who is who. Therefore it really doesn't matter if they are out of our sight or not ,just so long as Kagome remembers to say the command if he is ever out of someone's sight for a period of time."

Shippou, having appeared out of nowhere to follow them, leapt onto Miroku's shoulder. "Yeah, and as long as we keep seeing him get osuwaried. Haha! We'll probably be seeing that every day now."

"Don't get too cocky, runt," shot back Inuyasha, "Not even the rosary will keep me from pummeling you if you keep pissing me off."

"Hold on a second!" Kagome suddenly shouted, "Are you saying that you've been walking around alone all this time without even telling me? And I'm still being followed around by everyone?"

Inuyasha cringed, "I… just thought of it a couple of days ago."

"So why didn't you tell me a couple of days ago?"

Inuyasha made up a quick and very Inuyasha-like excuse, "Keh! I'm not the one who gets into trouble on a daily basis."

"Oh, so threatening Kouga whenever he shows up isn't trouble? Trying to strengthen Tetsusaiga by going after a giant stone dragon isn't trouble? Demolishing my school auditorium isn't trouble?"

"So I made a few slight miscalculations. We survived thanks to me, didn't we?" They arrived at the hut. "Anyways, get your bag. We're getting out of here."

Kagome made a face at him but gathered her things anyway. "Alright, Inuyasha. I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but you're going to pay for keeping things from me."

Unbeknownst to her, Inuyasha was smirking behind her in the doorway. He motioned for Shippou to come closer. The kitsune hopped onto his shoulder. Inuyasha spoke very softly so Kagome wouldn't hear, "Shippou, we're gonna be gone for a few days. In the meantime, I want you to promise me something." Shippou blinked at his unusually calm and serious voice. "Promise me that you won't go off playing by yourself anymore. Stick with Sango and the monk. We can't have you wandering off." Shippou made a face and Inuyasha knew he was about to defend himself by saying he was grown up enough to go off on his own for a while, but Inuyasha beat his response. "If you ever see me without Kagome during these few days, assume that it isn't me. As a youkai, you'll be able to tell better than anyone else who I am. Even if Kokuei smells the same as me, if there's not a trace of Kagome's scent anywhere around, you'll know… I don't trust this guy. If something happens, if he tries to trick you, promise me you'll be close by… just to be safe."

Seeing that Kagome was about finished packing, he urged Shippou with his eyes to respond fast. Shippou quickly nodded and jumped off of his shoulder. It gave him an odd sense of pride to know that Inuyasha was counting on him to look out for everyone in his absence. He knew Inuyasha was worried, just as he knew that he didn't want anyone to worry. The hanyou didn't come out and say it, but Shippou had a feeling that Inuyasha had been quiet about asking him because he didn't want Kagome to know he was nervous about leaving the others behind. He didn't want Kagome to miss her birthday with her family because of some enemy.

Kagome made her quick goodbyes; Inuyasha even quicker. She took her usual position on his back and waved as they took off towards the well. When the others were out of sight, she turned to wrap her arms around Inuyasha's neck. "Thank you, for taking me home for my birthday. I'll be really happy to spend some time with my family and friends."

When she gave him a small peck on the cheek, it reddened slightly. "Keh. Don't thank me just yet. We won't be getting there till tomorrow after all."

Kagome frowned as they leapt over the well and continued on into the forest. "Inuyasha?"

"We'll be there in the morning, but there's somewhere else we need to go first."

"Where else could we possibly need to go? And without the others?"

Inuyasha smirked, "Didn't you think there was a reason why I didn't tell you before? It's a surprise."

Kagome's heart fluttered in her chest. She could never forget all those little surprises – the flowers – that he often gave her without warning. "A surprise? Like a 'flowers' surprise?"

Inuyasha's blush darkened. He still was a little embarrassed about the whole flower thing. "Better," he muttered under his breath.

Kagome squealed and snuggled in tighter to Inuyasha, who pressed his ears down to block out the annoying sound. "I like the sound of that."

As the hanyou took wide leaps through the air, with a very cheerful Kagome, he felt a peace and an anticipation that carried him faster than ever before. All those times he had been sure that he hadn't done right by her… Tonight he hoped to make up for them all.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Twilight was the most beautiful time of day, in Sango's mind. The time just before the world fell asleep when everything was relaxed, spent, lazy. The sky was a visual lullaby, if music could be somehow written in the stars. In the distance the faraway sunset reflected in the mountains a halo of gold and red. She smiled to herself and watched as it began to fade away into night.

She heard footsteps behind her. She turned abruptly only to find it was her brother who approached. "Kohaku. I haven't seen you all day. Where have you been?" She smiled up at him.

Her smile faded when she realized he didn't make a move to sit down next to her. He remained standing, staring off into the fading sunset as though in a trance. "What's wrong, Kohaku?"

The boy sighed, "I don't know. I feel like… something's wrong. I have a feeling there's something or someone I should have remembered, but I can't."

"But I thought you had gained your memory back."

"Yes, but… this feels different. It's gotten worse all day. I feel like I've missed something."

Sango sighed, "I know the feeling, Kohaku. Don't think about it so much and it will come to you in time."

"That's the thing," Kohaku replied somberly, "I don't know if I have the time to wait."

Sango didn't bother to respond to that. She stared back at the sunset, which suddenly didn't seem so grand. There were a million things that Kohaku could have forgotten. Painful memories, slaughters, torture, whatever horrid task Naraku had assigned to him. So young a boy to have to face to cruelty of the world, she supposed she would be lying to herself if she thought that he would go completely back to normal, back to the naïve and innocent boy from so long ago. Even if he never remembered all the things he had done, somewhere in his mind something had to have been damaged. There is only so much a wound like that can heal.

Kohaku made a move to sit down, but suddenly stopped himself. The sky caught his attention. "Red."

"What's that?" Sango asked.

"The sunset… It's very red."

The dark undercurrent to his voice, the depth of his eyes as he gazed into the color, and Sango knew what he was thinking. 'The old omen… The spilling of innocent blood.'

Kohaku suddenly felt like the air had stilled, all sound ceased to be. A blanket of darkness covered his mind, and only a face became clear. The one he had forgotten. He gasped loudly. He dashed forward and didn't slow down even as his sister shouted after him. Sunset was practically gone and the stars began to bloom above. As he made his way onto the field, there was barely any light to see by. He didn't know what it was he chasing but his instincts carried his feet in the same direction. The chirps of countless crickets surrounded him so loud he could barely hear Sango coming after him.

Finally something caught his eye, and he stopped. In the ever-faint light of the fading day, he saw the shadow of a figure walking forward, limping, stumbling as though drunk. The figure came closer and stopped, and Kohaku could suddenly hear gasping, wheezing, panting desperately for air. Kohaku took a step forward. The figure's head shot up. The overly pale face, the ragged black hair wasn't anything compared to the emotion in their eyes. The familiar face, the wounds that bled no blood, and Kohaku's vision was confirmed. "Kikyo-sama…"

"Kohaku…?" She muttered.

As though it were too much for her to say his name, she crumbled to the floor. "Kikyo-sama!" Kohaku shouted as he rushed forward.

She was still wheezing when he gently rolled her onto her back. Kohaku lifted his head to shout, "Aneue! Come quick!"

"Inuyasha…" Kikyo mumbled.

Sango arrived quickly along with Kirara, and gasped at what she saw. Kikyo's entire body had been slashed. The body of clay did not bleed but it looked like it was ripping in half. There was a large void where her stomach should have been, slowly leaking out the souls she had devoured. Cracks covered her entire body, as though she were about to dissolve into dust right there. Her body was convulsing as she tried hard to breathe. The souls were leaving her body completely, fading away along with her little sliver of life.

"Kirara! We have to get her to Kaede-bachan right away!"

Working fast, but making sure not to damage Kikyo's body, Sango and Kohaku lifted her onto the neko-youkai. As the demon slayer laid her down, the miko grasped her hand. For the first time in what must be years, Sango looked into the eyes of the undead miko. For what must have been the first time ever, she saw passion, pain, love, and pleading in her gaze. "Please… Inuyasha…"

Sango felt a pang of pity and worry in her heart. She didn't want to, but it had to be said. She took off with her into the sky. "Inuyasha isn't here, Kikyo. We're taking you to Kaede."

She knew it wasn't the answer the miko was looking for. The poor woman's eyes filled with tears, and she stared at the sky as though begging to the gods. Sango said, "Don't worry, Kikyo. We won't let you die. You'll see him again when he comes back."

Kikyo gave off a sort of half sob, half laugh. "Look at me, Sango. I have no time to wait." Sango fell silent, and let her own eyes water as well. "It doesn't matter. Take me to my sister. I have to tell her, I have to tell you all before it's too late."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

As everyone gathered in the room, Kaede rushed to make Kikyo's futon as comfortable as possible. Kikyo calmly shooed her away. "Don't waste your efforts on me, Kaede. There's nothing more you can do for me now."

Kaede was trying hard not to look emotional. It was hard enough when she lost her sister as a child. It cut deep into old wounds, watching Kikyo fade away all over again. When she was small her sister was all the family she had. Losing her had been like a dagger to the heart. Even if she felt as though these wounds had healed over her life, she would always know the pain of Kikyo's life, the anguish that haunted her in her two lives. There would be no peace for Kikyo until she was dead.

"Kaede," Kikyo asked suddenly, "Do you think he's happy?"

It took a moment for Kaede to make a guess. "You mean Inuyasha?"

She didn't answer. She just stared up at the ceiling with a blank stare, but Kaede knew very well it was the hanyou she was thinking of. Perhaps it might have been an act of pity to tell her that Inuyasha loved her and only her, that he would never love anyone like he loved Kikyo even if it wasn't true, just so she could die feeling like she was special in someone's eyes, just so she could die feeling like she was an ordinary woman. But Kaede couldn't bear to lie to her sister, no matter how kind it might seem. She had the feeling that even if she did, Kikyo would know the truth.

She sighed, "Truthfully, I've never seen him this happy before."

Kikyo smiled - a melancholy and pained smile - but it was there. "And Kagome… She really does love him, doesn't she?"

Sango wiped the tears from her cheeks, and replied in Kaede's stead, "Yeah… yeah, she does. Very much."

Kikyo's smile became a little more real, a little less forced. "She'll take care of him. I know she will."

"Kikyo," she heard a small voice come from beside her.

She turned her head and found Shippou sitting by her arm. She smiled at the little one. She knew why Kagome was so attached to the child. Even as someone who battled youkai throughout her life, she couldn't help but feel like this kitsune had a heart worthy of the purest human. Shippou spoke, "I'm sorry. Kagome and Inuyasha went down the well. I can't go get them."

Shippou had bowed his head. He looked so forlorn and ashamed that he could do nothing. Kikyo lifted her arm just enough to tilt up his head. "It's okay. Could I ask one favor though?" Shippou nodded. "I need you to deliver a message for me."

"What kind of message?" he asked curiously.

"A very important message. The most important message." In her voice, the adults could hear the miko when she was really alive, the miko who once played for hours with children. It was a delicate voice that had nothing but affection to give. "But it's a secret message, okay. You can only tell one person. Can you do that for me?"

Shippou nodded his head quickly. "What is it? What's the message?"

Kikyo smiled, almost happily, "Tell Inuyasha that… I love him." A tear slid past her cheek. "I never really told him before and… I want him to know."

Shippou was silent for a while, and then put his hand over his heart in a vow, "I promise I'll tell him. Your secret's safe with me."

Even Miroku was beginning to shed tears. When Kikyo struggled to stand up, Miroku moved to help her. She leaned against him for support and looked at everyone. "I can't tell you much. I don't have the time and I can't risk changing what might be. I can tell you this much: A prophecy will be fulfilled, one that involves Inuyasha and Kagome, and Kokuei intends to stop it."

"What kind of prophecy?" Sango questioned.

"That I can't tell you. But this prophecy is the key to destroying Kokuei for good. You do not understand the extent of his power. I have seen what he can do. I was even foolish enough to be associated with him. You must understand that he cannot be underestimated. Even if he is born from Inuyasha's soul, he carries a piece of Naraku that gives him power far beyond what Inuyasha is capable of."

"So… So what can we do?" Miroku asked, a bit frustrated, "Just wait around for him to attack us?"

"Don't give him the chance to surprise you. Track him down yourselves, or he will strike when you are least prepared… At Naraku's castle." She responded, her voice getting weaker by the second, "Above all…"

She started suddenly, gasping for air. Almost all of the souls had left her body. Miroku could feel dust forming on his hands, "Kikyo-sama!" he exclaimed.

He tried to help her lie down, but she stopped him. "No. I don't have any time left. Please, you must know one more thing."

They all listened carefully, knowing that Kikyo's time was up. Kikyo began wheezing harder, and a thin layer of sweat broke out over her face as the cracks spread to her cheeks. Her skin began to glow an unusual light. Kaede knew instantly what it was when she saw it. It was the last soul, the little piece of Kagome's soul that had been taken from the beginning. It was about to come back out. Kikyo gasped out, forced out, "The only thing needed now to destroy him is The Faith. The time will come to destroy him on the night of the new moon."

"The Faith…" Sango whispered to herself.

Kikyo's eyes glazed over, until all she saw was white, and in her heart she carried the knowledge that she would find him again… in her next life… when she would form a part of the woman he was destined to love. She carried with her into the afterlife a single heartbeat, a single kiss, and a single phrase of comfort……

"You don't look like a bad person…"

To be continued…

Wah! Yes, Kikyo's gone. I'm not much of a fan of the whole Kikyo-Inuyasha pairing, but the manga chapter where she died had me sobbing. Anyways, it felt cool to write this chapter and I hope you all enjoyed it. Got a little piece of fluff in there but that's nothing compared to the next one, so watch out.